Phono Stage Upgrade
I have been reading through most of the threads and discussions related to phono stages and was struck by a comment on how one’s phono stage investment should be approximately equal to the spend on one’s turntable.
I currently have the Sutherland Little Loco, which has been not given me any issues at all. However, with my current setup of a Palmer 2.5i and the Audio Orgami arm plus a Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum cartridge, I am wondering if I am missing out on the potential of this combination?
I am definitely intrigued by the ARC 3SE and PH9, but am unsure of the interplay between these phono stages and my current cartridge and tonearn. I am not interested in having to recable anything and also read something about a quirky approach to power mains with ARC. I am running all of my gear using LFD mains and am quite happy with them.
Finally, it is not entirely obvious where to actually purchase this gear as there is no one local to me and my two usual dealers (Gene Rubin and Fidelis) don’t carry ARC. I would love a recommendation as to a dealer I might contact. I will also keep my eyes open for a reputable used option.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Thanks all. I am interested in the experience others have had with the 3se and Koetsu or similar carts. @noromance — I saw the dealer locator on the site but there is no one close to local so was looking for recommendations based on past experiences. |
Of course the danger with the question I posed is that it opens the door to all sorts of adjacent topics and education! I suppose that is why some of us are continuously reading, discussing and adjusting. I will note that I definitely took the time to listen to some more of the Bill Evans collection that arrived on Saturday as well as playing my original Blues and the Abstract Truth" for the who knows how many times... So after looking at some of the posts it seems like there is a decision point related to the "type" of phono stage I should explore. The tube option noted multiple times (ARC) and then there seems to be a solid state option as well. My current Little Loco appears to be of the plug it in and it works and clearly there are others (Van der Hul) with the same philosophy.
I am using a solid state integrated amp right now and am completely happy with it and have no plans to change (the LFD, Harbeth, and Palmer combo just works). So I should do some research on the approaches to phono stages and also the compatability with my Koetsu cartridge.
If any of this helps clarify my goals, I am still interested in the respected opinions and suggestions of this community. Many thanks. |
@mulveling -- your experience with your Koetsu is very helpful and so thank you. I see that there are two different outputs, the typical RCA and XLR, the latter I have not encountered previously. I assume I am good with the RCA, but am interested in the difference.
At this point I am going to find a dealer on the East Coast to talk a bit more and would love any recommendations based on past experience.
Thanks as always. |
@coltrane1 -- not sure I understand your comment
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For those waiting to hear how the story ended, I am sitting here listening to "Somethin' Else" through an ARC 3SE and liking what I am hearing from the start. I must admit that the unit itself sort of dominates the system, but I am looking forward to getting to know how it performs across the range of my collection.
Thanks to all for your help and insights. Happy listening! |
